Re: Wind Adjustments? (588 Views)
Posted by:
Mall (IP Logged)
Date: November 28, 2005 12:32PM
My layman's take on the basics after an in-depth discussion with an expert in the field of aerodynamics:
1. Drag does not increase in a linear fashion as wind speed increases, & is probably negligible until wind speed, determined by adding the speed of the horse to the speed of the headwind, using the most straightforward example, reaches a point where drag increases exponentially.
2. The "vortex" created behind a horse by itself on a lone lead running into a headwind also increases drag, which would be less if there were horses close behind such a horse.
3. Horses at the very back of the pack also experience drag running into a headwind, so the best place to be is in the middle of the pack, behind the horses who are behind the horse on the lead.
4. Drag can only be determined accurately if it's calculated for each horse individually, something which cannot be done absent a great deal more information than is currently available.
5. As a result of 1-4, one can legitimately question the current practice of applying an average wind adjustment to the figure of the winner, especially when the winner was a midpack horse which encountered little or no drag.
Finally, the expert's qualified answer to the question of whether no wind adjustment would be better than what is currently being done: "Probably."